Adjustable torsion shaft in flying shears



June 16, 1953 J. E- ERHARDT, JR., ET AL 2,641,937

ADJUSTABLE TORSION SHAFT IN FLYING SHEARS Filed July 15, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet l g INVENTORS. Jbhn EiEz-kandiufigi, Jos ph Diff/2y:

BY fimly-ffm ATTORNEYS.

J 1953 J. E. ERHARDT, JR., ET AL 2,641,937

ADJUSTABLE TORSION SHAFT IN FLYING SHEARS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 15, 1949 HllIIlI-llll! w mmwm m2 ha a June 1953 J. E. ERHARDT, JR., ET AL 2,641,937

ADJUSTABLE TORSION SHAFT IN FLYING SHEARS Filed July 15, 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 BY M hffayw ATTOR N EYS r .v to pr ide fl n sh ars t etorsionsh type i n 'm ansf -var in a d a i stably Patented June 16, 19 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE ADJUSTABLE TORSION SHAFT IN John Edward Erhardt, Jr and Joseph Silbey Du f Ba t more; M is.

' & Seal Company, 1110., Balti mi m wk pplicat cn lulyla 9, Se

seems- -I-,'1. s nv nti n relates t u t l sear i sue: ture, and particularly to adjustable ge r st ttire associated with the torsion sh rt ra (pf-flying shear-s.

. ,lnifly ns sh s em o n e e ai y ent n igniteheads it is common practiceto gear the knife heads together at both ends thereof, for the principal purpose of assuring proper knife al gnme this a so known is sme a n a torsion shaft within one of the heads, one end f the shaft-b g Xe i o-the a a d h other end of'the shaft fitting freely therein and protruding tl' erefromj The head so provided with the torsion shaft carries one fixed gear at the end whereat the shaft .is fixed, and the other gear is fixed to the opposite end of the torsion shaft. The two gears somounted may be slightly offset relative to each other, so that Whenmeshed with the gears of the cooperative head the torsion shaft is deflected due to torsional stress, lwhereby backlash, vibration and other undesirable operating factors are substantially reduced.

The above-described arrangement, however, is inflexible, and does "not permit variance of ,the stress in the torsion shaftto suit changing eondi= .tions, u h a h ar ede e w dth an -t ne of m t r being heared, kn and? sea and the like.

It is a o c of t e resent l fi N v: .i4 113 13: ft

fix ng the a t orsi n; whereb he operationof the shears m be ad sted w th va y n nonditi a h l fe f theshea DWQSFE QMIY extended.

It is a further object of thisinvention DOEDIQ- vide geared flying shears wherein vhacklash is eliminated, and smooth; efficient operation may be maintained for long periods.of timegthrough widely varying conditions.

A further objectis to provide a. novel and;;eiil

. cientgear adjusting structure.

t-a th o e t is-to p ovide am ltiple a geargstruoture in which ,.'a. gear :portion z ma be .angularly. adjusted relative to a'hub, portioniwith an exceeding degree of finenessand the several portions readilyand positively-fixed in theidesired irelationship.

Furtherobjects willbe in part obvious andin part pointedout hereinafter. v

The invention and .the novel features thereof may, best be made clear from-the following .description, and the aceompanying. drawings; .in which: i

"Figure 1. i-s an elevational view-lnseotm-n; show- 2 7 ing an exemplary .pair of flying shears incorporating the features of the present invention; Figure} isia sectional view of the shears, taken o ith-iinez z of Figure 1';

5 "Figure? is an elevational view taken on the liri'ef'ii-Q 3'jofv Figure 1, showing'the relationship of the driving gears of the shears;

Eigure e is amend elevational view of the ad:- justal'ile' gear-"assembly employed in the shears, andTFigurefaisa section therethrough, taken l m l fi 5 V Figurefi is an exploded view corresponding to 'r'ev 5, showing the component elements ofthe table gear assembly; and their relative rela-fsection tl rougl'i the gear member, taken along theiine s flthereoff I Figure 9 is an end elevational view of the' outer eceentric'of'the gear assembly, fandFigu're 10 is a vertical secti'dnltherethrough;

Fi ure 11 lisan end elevational view of the inner ec'e'e'ntri'cof the gear asfs'embly','and Figure 12 is iave'ntical section therethrough; I v Q Figure flj3fiis1an "end" elevational .view of the anchor pin' associated with .the gear hub member,

and lure ll isijalyertical section through the 'a noli'oripin,and

endof .the anchor .pin, illustrating the manner {of its ttachment to the lilib member. 7

Referring-"tame drawings in detail, '11 Figures 1 21 111611 2 isshownabaseoasting 21, in which knife h''adsfl' and 23 ,are suitably supported in parallel, cooperative relationship, as by .anti frictio'n bearings. 2}! adjacent the ends thereof. In the leinbodimentshown, the lower knife head 22 [is driventh pughZdoupling 25by a suitable source 7 "1o ,of power, such as the'driveereducer unitZtJ The "knives 21.

The

' OIdinatedbygearing; lower head 22 being pro- .vided-witha arlza keyed to each end thereof. ;A gear 2j 9 is iixed to one...,e'nd of the up pfir head 23,

.in rneshing engagement with the corresponding gear 28, an d associated with the other end of the v upperhead is theladjustablegear assembly indicated generally a530, similarly in meshing engagement with the oorrespondinggear :28 of the er lhe=npe rzhqsdiiz p e w Figure ,fic is an end elevational view" of the gear member'of the'gear assembly, and Figure 8 is a Figure 15 is an elevational View '.of the other kni-feheads are suitably driven and oo corresponding portion of passage 32.

"the hub flange portion 38.

an axial passage 32, through which extends the torsion shaft 33. Torsion shaft 33 is fixed, as by set screws 34, to the end of head 23 bearing the gear 29, and adjacent its other end is formed into a boss 35, machined to a turning fit with the The adjustable gear assembly 30 is keyed to the protruding free end of torsion shaft 33.

The gears 28, 29 and 39 may be of the spur or any other common type, butfarei preferably helical, a helix angle of 7 /2 being entirely suitable. The gears 29 and 3B, in the exemplary embodiment, are of twice the effective diameter of the peripheral speed of the heads being ide'ntical.

By this arrangement, and the proper position- An anchor pin 53 is fixed in the hub aperture 42, as by set screws 52 (Figures 14 and 15), and extends from the hub flange in parallelism to the guide portion 40 thereof. The outer end of the pin is slit inwardly by crisscross slits 53, and is provided with a central threaded recess 54, adapted to' receive a correspondingly threaded tapered plug 55. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, a pluralityof bolts 56 extends through gear member slots 49into threaded engagement with openings 43 of the hub. Desirably, the portions of the gear memberslots adjacent the outer surface of the gear member are enlarged, as shown. to receive the'bolt heads within the gear member, a

With anchor pin 50 positioned centrally of the 1 gear member locking aperture 48, the hub opening of knives 21' and 21, it will be understood,"

the knife 2! is successively brought into shearing'engagement with first one of the knives 2T andthen the other. Suitable means, not shown, are provided for feeding stock to be sheared between the heads at a speed properly coordinated with the. peripheral speed of the knife heads.

Assuming the gears 28 of the lower head to be fixed in alignment, and the gears 29 and 30 of the upper head to be somewhat out of alignment, for example offset angularly a distance corresponding to one-half tooth, it will be recognized that the mechanism can be assembled only by torsionally deflecting the shaft 33. The torsion of shaft 33 so effected has been found to take up the backlash between the gears of the two heads,

and thereby reduce vibration and contribute substantially to prolonged knife life.

By such an arrangement, however, the torsion of shaft 33 remains substantially constant under all operating conditions.

To most effectively employ the torsion shaft arrangement described, it has been found necessary to provide a feature of adjustment, where by the twist of the torsion shaft may be varied to a value found to be most efficient with each change of operating conditions, such as the speed of the shears, the gage, width or type of material being worked upon and the like. In the instant invention, this feature of adjustability is attained by the provision of the novel-adjustable gear assembly 30.

The adjustable gear 30, as best seen in Figure ,6, comprises a hub member 36, adapted to be fixed to the end of the torsion shaft by means of keyway 31. The hub member includes an annular flange portion 38, bounded by a face surface 39 normal to the hub axis, and a guide portion 40 of relatively small diameter extending laterally from face 39. The flange portion of the hub member is provided with an anchor pin receiving aperture 42, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced threaded openings 43. Gear member 44 is adapted to fit about and enclose the hub member 36, the gear member having a centralbore 45 adapted to receive the hub guide portion, and a counterbore 46 adapted to enclose the bore 45, the gear. member comprises the inwardly extending rib 41, positioned and adapted 'member 44 is best shown in Figures 7 and 8.

Circumferential of ings are aligned with the middles of the circumferential slots 49. Since the locking aperture 48 is of larger diameter than the pin the gear member 44 may be rotatably adjusted relative to the hub member 36 within a small range,

and partially fixed in adjusted position by means of bolts 56. To positively lock or fix the gear member in adjusted position relative to the hub member, a pair of cooperating eccentrics 51 and 58 are provided. The outer eccentric 51 (Figures 9 and 10) is adapted to fit closely within locking aperture 4 8 of the hub member, and the inner eccentric 58 (Figures 11 and 12) is adapted to fit closely within the outer eccentric and to enclose the outer end of pin' 50. The assembled relationship of these elements is evident in Figure 6, and is clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5. The eccentrics 51 and 58 are preferably slit through the thinner sides thereof, the slits 59 extending into the inner portions of the thicker sides as shown in Figures 9 and 11, and are de- 1 sirably provided with threaded holes 60 for the reception of wrenches or similar tools.

By proper positioning of the eccentrics 5'! and 58 within the locking aperture 48, a small range of angular adjustment of gear member 44 relative to the pin 58 (and hub member 36) is effected. This range, for example, may correspond to one gear tooth, and the adjustable gear be so positioned on torsion shaft 33 as to permit adjustment of the gear member '44 relative to the fixed upper head gear 2 9 from a position corresponding to gear tooth alignment'to a position a full tooth offset from the original position. In this manner, the above-described shears may be employed with a twist in the torshaft 33 varying from 'zero to that corresponding to the angular spacing of a full gear tooth, and adjustable to intermediate values within that range with infinite fineness. Obviously, the gear assembly maybe designed to provide'a greater or a lesser range of adjustment, if

desired. Furthermore, by reason of the provision of slits'53 and 59 inthe anchor pin and eccentrics, and the taperedplug' 55, it has been found that the gear'member may'be positively fixed on the hub member at the desired angular relationship, the tapered" plug functioning to spread the surrounding segments of pin 50; and they in turn functioning to spread the eccentrics 57 and 58. The particular slitted configuration of the members5ll, 51 and 58 has been found to effect an outstandingly rigid locking of the hub member and gear member in desired relationship, permanently secure against vibration, twisting moments and other forces.

In employing the adjustable gear structure of our inventionin the-fiying'shears above described, the gear assembly may be adjusted initially to'effect 'a twist of torsion shaft 33 equal to, for example, half a tooth; Upon changing operation of the shears to a different speed or material, or in'compensation of gear or knife wear or both, the torsion of the shaft 33 may be readily adjusted as necessary to maintain optimum operation. This is accomplished conveniently by removing cover plate 52 from the'base,,loosening the bolts 55, and removing tapered plug 55 and the eccentrics 57 and 58 from the gear assembly. The threaded holes 60 may be employed to remove the eccentrics. The adjustment of gear member 44 is then made, either manually or by means ofa suitable tool, the proper adjustment being determined either by feel, by measurement or by reference to suitable indicia. When the position of the gear member has been suitably adjusted, the eccentrics are replaced in the locking aperture 48 and about the pin 50. It will be recognized that for any position of pin 50 relative to aperture 43,

only one corresponding position of the eccentrics is possible, and they mustbe *rotatably adjusted relative to the gear member and hub member and to each other until the proper-pmsitioning for insertion is determined.

When the eccentrics have been replaced, the plug 55 may be inserted into recess 54, whereby the eccentrics will be spread slightly and effect a positive locking of the gear member and hub member in the angular direction. The bolts 56 are then tightened to prevent axial separation of the hub and gear members, the cover plate '62 replaced and operation resumed.

By judicious adjustment of the torsion in shaft 33 when required, it has been found that the life of knives 21 and 2? may be greatly extend= ed, and quiet and smooth operation maintained for long periods of time, with excellent shearing results. For example, in shearing tin plate at speeds in excess of 600 feet per minute, using a lower knife head of 9 inches effective diameter, a single set of knives has been used for more than a hundred operating hours with excellent results, at the end of this time still giving per= fect cuts, with no burrs on the cut edges.

It will be obvious that the adjustable gear structure of our invention may be utilized for numerous purposes other than in association with flying shears.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention a structure in which'the various objects hereinbefore set forth, together with many practical advantages, are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features of the above invention, all without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

For example, as indicated by the appended claims, it is not necessarythat the drive coupling and the adjustable gear assemblyv be on different knife heads, or thatthe drive coupling and the adjustable gear assembly be at opposite ends of the flying shears.

We claim: 7

1. In combination, a first rotary head and a second rotary headfixedly disposed relative to each other in operative relationship, a gear fixed to each end of said first head, a gear fixed to one end of said second head and meshing with the corresponding gear of said first head, a tor 6. sion 'shaft concentrically enclosed by said second head, saidshaft. being fixed to the geared. end of said second head and constituting a bearing for the other end thereof, a hub member fixed to said shaft adjacent the free end there-- of, agear concentrically mounted on said hub member and meshing with the corresponding gear of said first head, and means for adjustably fixing-the angular relationship between said hub member and the gear-mounted thereon.

2; In combination, a first rotary head and a second rotary head fixedly disposed relative to each other in operative relationship, a gear fixed to each end of said first head, a gear fixed to one end of said secondhead and meshing with the corresponding gear of said first head, a torsion shaft concentrically enclosed by said second head, said shaft being fixed to the geared end of said second head and constituting a bearing for the other end thereof, a hub member fixed to said shaft adjacent the free end thereof, a gear concentrically mounted on said hub member and meshing with the corresponding gear of said first head, said gear being apertured, a pin extending from said hub member into said aperture, and means operative on said pin and said aperture for positively fixing the angular relationship between'said hub member and the gear mounted thereon.

3. In combination, a first rotary head and a second rotary head fixedly disposed relative to each other in operative relationship, a gear fixed to each end of said first head, a gear fixed to one end of said second head and meshing with the correspondinggear of said first head, a torsion shaft concentrically enclosed by said second head, said shaft being fixed to the geared end of said second head and constituting a bearing for the other end thereof, a hub member fixed to said shaft adjacent the free end thereof, a gear corncentrically mounted on said hub member and meshing with the corresponding gear of said first head, said gear being apertured, a pin extending from said hub member into said aperture, a first eccentric mounted on said pin and a second eccentric mounted on said first eccentric, said second eccentric fitting closely within said aperture.

4. In combination, a first rotary head and a second rotary head fixedly disposed relative to each other in operative relationship, a gear fixed to each end of said first head, a gear fixed to one end of said second head and meshing with thehubmember into said aperture, said pin being.

slit inwardly from the outer endthereof, a tapered plug threaded into the slit end of said pin, a first eccentric mounted on said pin and a second eccentricmounted on'said first eccentric, said second eccentric fitting closely within said aperture, and said eccentrics being longitudinally slit.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, including means for driving said first head.

JOHN EDWARD ERHARDT, JR. JOSEPH SILBEY DUFFY.

(References on following page) v Referelgces Cited 'in the file of this patent" UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Stratton Ju1y 19, 1870 Swift July 30, 1912 Coty Dec. 1, 1914 Horvath Sept. 18, 1917 Maier Oct. 1 1919 Langston July 17, 1923 Trusler July 28, 1931 Number 1,945,325 1,988,215 2,213,919 2,217,560 2,242,363 2,374,344

8 Name Date Lloyd Jan. 30, 1934 Peterson Jan. 15, 1935 Michon Sept. 3, 1940 Michon 0017.8, 1940 Michon May 20, 1941 Gillmore et; a1 Apr. 24, 1945 

